‘Tarawih’ prayers mark beginning of Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is all set to start from Tuesday as the devout thronged the mosques all across the Kashmir valley to offer ‘tarawih’ prayers in the night.
Muslims will be observing fasts for a month from Tuesday as the summer season has started to peak in the Valley. However, people are upbeat about Ramadan and were seen greeting each other on the eve of the holy month. Greetings were also doing rounds on the social networking sites.
A festive atmosphere was witnessed at the markets as people were seen buying dates and other eatables for ‘sehri’ and ‘iftar’ times.
Keeping a fast during Ramadan is among the five fundamentals of Islam. Besides fasting, Muslims usually pray, recite the Quran and also do a lot of charity. Ramadan is divided into three ‘ashras’ or 10 day periods of ‘Rahmat’, ‘Maghfirat’ and ‘Nijaat’. “The first 10 days Ramadan are the days of ‘Rahmat’ (mercy) and a Muslim should seek the mercy of the Allah in this ‘ashra’. The second ‘ashra’ is about seeking ‘Maghfirat’ or forgiveness from the Allah and the last is about ‘Nijaat’ or salvation from hell-fire,” said a local imam.
A huge rush of people is expected at the mosques from Tuesday for five-time prayers.
Pertinently, the fasting month has also put a brake on the wedding season as people usually do not solemnise marriages during Ramazan.
The wedding season would again pick up after Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month.